Above: the new Bel-Art centre in Bel-Air (Photo: USAID/Nancy Ruppel)
By the Caribbean Journal staff
One of Port-au-Prince’s artistic hubs is getting a lift.
The neighbourhood of Bel-Air has inaugurated the new Bel-Art centre, a home for artists that was renovated with support from the US government.
Bel-Air has traditionally been known as one of Haiti’s more artistic neighbourhoods, and the new centre will form part of a planned “artistic trail” in the area.
The project to create the centre was funded with around $107,000.
Local artist Roga painted some of the new walls at the centre’s gallery.
USAID said it has been embarking on a series of rehabilitation projects in Bel-Air, including a renovated soccer field and basketball court, new solar lights and benches and a new community library, among other initiatives.
The opening ceremony last week included a prize ceremony for winners of a neighbourhood youth art contest.